


Memoirs of a Hero: The Hero of Kvatch

by whornacia



Category: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 23:32:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19451758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whornacia/pseuds/whornacia
Summary: Following the life and experiences of the hero of Kvatch in great detail as she remembers it.





	Memoirs of a Hero: The Hero of Kvatch

My name is Aurelie Synvodil; I am the Hero of Kvatch, and these are my memoirs. 

The day my life truly began was the day I met him. How funny it seems now, the level of entanglement I had with the Septim family, almost surreal. Like a fever dream of some character fantasized and glorified in some tome on the high shelves of a library. I recount the day my life changed and the adventures leading up to my old age. 

IN THE MARKET  
It began sometime toward the end of Last seed. Spring was just leaving and summer heat had begun to set in. I awoke that morning to the sound of a city coming to life. White stone walls encircled the heart of an empire, its citizens willingly segregated from life on the outside. Life had an entirely different dynamic on the City Isle. Sunlight was beaming through the cracks in the wooden roof above my head. I managed to find a nook to sleep in among the rafters of a portico above the market district. As my eyes adjusted I laid my head back onto my old leather rucksack. Years of travel, wear, and tears had shaped it down to a smooth supple companion. I traced my fingers along its seams as I contemplated what I would do today. I couldn’t go back, not with the guard after me. I had to find my new life. Little did I know, a new life was about to find me. The air that day smelled different, I am not entirely sure if it was the circumstances to come or the fact that I was not used to the smells of a city, either way, I knew things were about to change for me. Reluctantly I grabbed the strap of my bag and pulled it onto my shoulder as I shuffled to the end of the roof. Along the edge of the portico, the builders, no doubt by some design specification foreign to me, left a generous gap between the wooden roof and the stone ledge. I slid through and was promptly greeted with a 20 foot drop to the alley below. Directly across lie my method of arrival, a sturdy, ivy-laiden trellace hugging the limestone walls of the apartment behind. I turned around for a moment to take in the city once more. This high up it was quieter. I could see the glittering green roofs of the white stone buildings. All uniformly pointing toward the ancient white tower in the center. My eyes followed the length of it all the way to the top. No windows, no doors, just one tall tapered tube. Along the top I could see figures, likely patrolmen, watching for… whomever could climb that high I suppose. I turned my attention back to the task at hand. 

“The gap looked much bigger today, how did I get up here?” I thought. Then I saw it, a wooden splandral jutting out toward the end of the portico, meant for banners probably. Today it would function as my perch. I carefully stepped toward the architectural blessing and stepped across, my foot meeting one of the square holes of the trellace. 

“Thank you lovey” I said to the splandral, kissing my hand and giving it a pat. I began my descent smirking to myself at my cleverness. 

“Free lodging with a view” I thought. 

As my boot hit the ground I began to acclimate to life on terre firma again. People were gently brushing past me as if in enough of a hurry as to not make contact with the bosmer scaling a building, but not enough of a hurry to actually walk faster. Stupid imperials. 

I began to make my way under the portico where farmers and artisans had their wares on display. Set atop crates or sprawled along blankets, it would’ve looked like a mess save for the office of commerce’s draconian enforcement of assigned lanes for walking. 

As I walked slowly along the goods, my hand instinctively groped my coinpurse hanging from my belt trying to gauge how much I had left to budget with. A crate with fresh breads lined up atop it caught my nose first, then my eyes. I made my way to it, only then noticing how hungry I was. The merchant was busy talking to a woman, something to do with ordering blackberry pies for a party. The merchant woman noticed me eyeing the bread and kept glancing toward me distrustfully during the conversation. Aware of this I tried to look as friendly as possible. 

“2 for the small loaf and 5 for the big ones” she pointed to the two groups on the crate. The smaller ones were more in line with my budget. It was about that time the tone of the other woman began to get frantic. Unable to resist, I shifted my attention to try and eavesdrop. 

“...the damn protesters are blocking the way to the banks so I can’t pay you today.” She fumed. 

“Well I need something better than an I.O.U for that many pies.” the merchant snipped. 

I had forgotten the protesters were here. As if they had been cued, out of the bustle began shouts. People turning their heads to look rushed over to the street for a glimpse at the action. Ever since I was young I always loved studying the faces of a crowd when something happens. I used to sneak under the stands at the arena and I could never quite see the action from below. But I could see the crowd on the other side. So I would watch their faces for the reactions, hoping to get an idea of what was going on. I craved that level of candor and vulnerability when someone just reacts to something. Its the most honest moment one person can have with another. 

The shouting got louder as the guards in their clanking metal armor shambled over. In that moment, uninterested in the nearby chaos, I realized I had an opportunity. The merchant wasn't looking so what’s to stop me from taking the loaf. I did a quick glance around me, all clear. I reached out and grabbed the loaf as quickly as I could and darted for the alley. As I reached the dark aperture, a wall of metal greeted me and I hit it full force. In my haze I could see the tell-tale feathered helmet of an imperial city guard just as I lost consciousness.


End file.
